by our College Data Analytics TeamWe've gathered data and other essential information about the program, such as the average salary of graduates, ethnicity of students, how many students graduated in recent times, and more. We've also included details on how NIU ranks compared to other colleges offering a major in communications.
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The bachelor's program at NIU was ranked #170 on College Factual's Best Schools for communications list. It is also ranked #8 in Illinois.
| Ranking Type | Rank |
|---|---|
| Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools | 166 |
| Best Communication & Media Studies Schools | 170 |
During the 2021-2022 academic year, Northern Illinois University handed out 114 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies. This is a decrease of 29% over the previous year when 160 degrees were handed out.
In 2022, 14 students received their master’s degree in communications from NIU. This makes it the #79 most popular school for communications master’s degree candidates in the country.
Communications majors who earn their bachelor's degree from NIU go on to jobs where they make a median salary of $38,490 a year. This is higher than $34,959, which is the national median for all communications bachelor's degree recipients.
While getting their bachelor's degree at NIU, communications students borrow a median amount of $26,380 in student loans. This is not too bad considering that the median debt load of all communications bachelor's degree recipients across the country is $27,493.
The typical student loan payment of a bachelor's degree student from the communications program at NIU is $249 per month.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, part-time undergraduate students at NIU paid an average of $360 per credit hour. No discount was available for in-state students. The average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates are shown in the table below.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $9,792 | $9,792 |
| Fees | $2,714 | $2,714 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $12,800 | $12,800 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $2,836 | $2,836 |
Learn more about NIU tuition and fees.
In the 2021-2022 academic year, 114 students earned a bachelor's degree in communications from NIU. About 36% of these graduates were women and the other 64% were men.
The majority of bachelor's degree recipients in this major at NIU are white. In the most recent graduating class for which data is available, 54% of students fell into this category.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor's in communications.
| Ethnic Background | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 6 |
| Black or African American | 20 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19 |
| White | 61 |
| Non-Resident Aliens | 2 |
| Other Races | 6 |
Online degrees for the NIU communications bachelor’s degree program are not available at this time. To see if the school offers distance learning options in other areas, visit the NIU Online Learning page.
All of the 4 students who graduated with a Master’s in communications from NIU in 2022 were women.
The majority of master's degree recipients in this major at NIU are white. In the most recent graduating class for which data is available, 75% of students fell into this category.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from Northern Illinois University with a master's in communications.
| Ethnic Background | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 0 |
| Black or African American | 1 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0 |
| White | 3 |
| Non-Resident Aliens | 0 |
| Other Races | 0 |
Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the communications majors at Northern Illinois University.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Journalism | 19 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.